Your eyes don't deceive you, I did indeed drop the last three chapters on you. The next 3 chapters are best enjoyed one after another anyway so think of it as me compensating you all for the long wait. I'll talk to you guys again at the author's note in the end.
If you still have exams I hope things go smoothly for you!
Sidenote, I already hate writing fight scenes because it's stupidly hard. But trying to make sense of the Aura system is even harder. .
As of writing this, we have 69 reviews. Good job, readers, you make me very proud :)))
Weiss could barely believe what Jaune was suggesting. A nauseating feeling of dread came over her the instant he began detailing his idea.
She was hoping to cap the night off with a warm cup of cocoa before crawling into bed. Everything seemed to be going their way for once.
Yang and Blake were talking to each other again, while they weren't as close as they'd been before the big argument it was still better than the state they were in earlier that day. Even Nora and Ruby were beginning to regain their restless energy with each passing cup of hot chocolate.
Unfortunately, their little taste of normalcy ended when Jaune announced his grand plan that could land them on Atlas' most wanted list or dead in the water.
"Have you gone insane?!" Blake was the first to object. "We're trying to keep Salem from gaining more power, not end up as fugitives!"
"How else do you think we'll be able to get to Atlas?" Jaune asked. "Unless we can build our own airship in record time we don't have a choice."
"Isn't there any way we can negotiate with Cordovin?"
Maria laughed hysterically," you'll have better luck taming a Grimm than changing that old bat's mind."
'Maybe she would be more open to helping us if you didn't antagonize her.' Weiss thought heatedly, but based on Cordovin's hostility towards Blake, she doubted they would've made much progress even without Maria's interference.
"I understand how this sounds but I wouldn't be proposing this unless we were out of options." Jaune reasoned carefully.
"I agree," Ruby chimed in. "We need to get to Atlas as quickly as we can. The faster we spread the word about Salem, the better."
"I still think this is a horrible idea." Blake shook her head. Weiss was inclined to agree with her, but it seemed the majority of the room bought into Jaune's disaster of a heist.
She felt even less inclined to chime in with her opinion when Ruby lost her temper with Qrow.
That's how she found herself lying awake in the middle of the night, her mind racing at all the possible ways their plan could go wrong. From plunging into the ocean to getting arrested by the military, she thought of it all.
Her anxiety only grew when she speculated about what Adam would do. Weiss wasn't sure how he was going to follow them to Atlas—she didn't want to think about the risks he'd have to take to sneak past the border.
What if she somehow perished in the heist without him knowing? What if he got detained on his way to Atlas—what would Atlas do to an ex White Fang member? Who would he be handed off to once they saw his scar?
Weiss slipped out of her bed before she could entertain that line of thought any further. She didn't bother turning on the lights, using her Scroll as a flashlight as she grabbed herself a cup of water.
She quietly made herself comfortable at the dining table and stared down at her Scroll dejectedly, her thumb hovering over Adam's contact info.
'He's probably asleep.' She reasoned with herself. 'But what if he isn't?'
If he was awake, she could make the horrible night a bit better by spending some time with him. She quickly typed out her message and sent it before she could have any second thoughts.
Weiss:
Awake?
She sipped on her cool cup of water, listening to the muffled snores from upstairs. The buzzing of her Scroll broke through the stillness of the house.
Adam:
I am now.
Instead of replying with another text, she decided to call him. It took only two rings for him to pick up.
"You better have a good reason for waking me up at 2 in the morning." He answered the call sleepily.
"What? Can't I call to have a chat?" She joked.
"Not in the middle of the night."
She heard him shifting in bed.
"Sorry, I couldn't sleep." She apologized sincerely. Maybe bothering him at such a weird hour wasn't her brightest idea.
"What's on your mind?" He sounded a bit more awake.
"Nothing. I just feel awake tonight." She answered innocently.
"Liar," he said with a yawn. "You don't call someone at 2 am for no reason."
"Maybe I'm just fond of late-night conversations."
"You normally sleep like a log."
"No I don't."
"Did you forget we travelled together?"
Weiss was glad he wasn't there to see the embarrassed blush burning her cheeks.
"We figured out a way to get into Atlas." She finally caved in and proceeded to summarize the plan to him.
"I'm not sure whether to be impressed or upset" That was the first thing he said after she was done.
"It's stupid. Even if we survive we could end up as criminals." She ranted in a hushed whisper. "Gods, we're going to be in so much trouble."
"Blake's seen her fair share of heists. You guys will be fine."
"That's not the only thing I'm worried about." She ran a hand through her hair. "I don't think it'll be safe for you to keep following us. It's going to be dangerous trying to sneak into Atlas border."
"I think you're severely underestimating my ability to fool Atlas Security." He didn't sound the slightest bit concerned about breaking into one of the tightest security in all of Remnant.
"But what if you get hurt? Where would I find you if they have you detained?"
'What will they do to you once you've been caught?'
"I'm insulted you think I'd be so easily spotted by the guards."
"I'm being serious, Adam." She very nearly shouted at him. "I really appreciate you looking out for me, but I won't forgive myself if something happened to you because of it."
"Weiss, listen." He said in complete seriousness. "I understood the risks I was taking when I decided to fight by your side. It's no different from whatever you and your team are taking on."
"There's nothing I can say that can change your mind, is there?" She wasn't sure why she bothered to ask in the first place.
"Would you abandon whatever mission you're on if I told you to?"
"No…" She grumbled.
"Then there's nothing more to say. Let me worry about catching up with you, this isn't the first time I snuck past Atlas Military."
She didn't doubt him on that, but it did nothing to lessen the horrible feeling in her gut.
"I have a really bad feeling about this, Adam." She confessed. "Something's going to go wrong. I just know it."
"Everyone gets a bit nervous about their first big crime. Just relax and do what feels right. It'll be over before you know it."
Weiss couldn't tell if he was joking or giving her genuine advice.
"You don't need to sound so proud." She murmured.
"Can't help myself. You're the last person I expect to break the law, it's a big milestone." He yawned again.
"You should sleep. I'm sorry about waking you up this late."
"Same goes for you. You can't pull off a heist like this without proper rest."
"Very funny," she rolled her eyes despite smiling at his comment. "Hopefully you won't need to help us tomorrow."
"If anything does turn sour I'll be on standby." He promised. "Relax, I won't let you face Atlas Military alone."
"That should be my line."
"Unlike you, I actually have experience in dealing with them."
'That doesn't mean you should face them alone.' Though she knew it would be pointless to try and convince him to come with them.
"Seriously, go back to bed. It's difficult to think on the spot when you're tired." He said.
"You're only saying that to get back to sleep again." She joked.
"Obviously. Some of us like to sleep at 2 am."
"At least you're honest, sleeping beauty." She laughed. "Good night."
"Night."
The house felt infinitely quieter when the call ended. Weiss remained in the dark kitchen for a couple more minutes before reluctantly dragging herself upstairs and back to bed again.
That horrible sinking feeling in her gut didn't get any lighter when she woke up at the first hint of sunlight, nor when they quietly reviewed their plan of attack on the outskirts of Argus—it only got worse as she couldn't help but feel someone was watching her every move.
Weiss was surprised none of them had been crushed beneath the massive mech suit.
Their plan had (expectedly) failed, but what they didn't expect was for Cordovin to go after them with one of her most dangerous weapons.
There was not a single second during the fight that Weiss felt they were at an advantage. Even when Qrow and Ren managed to take down the mech's shield system, that gut-wrenching fear continued to suffocate her.
Despite the high-stress confrontation, she still managed to catch glimpses of him nearby. Adam never jumped in personally to help them, but she noticed crimson waves of energy bursting out from the forest to deflect Cordovin's missiles whenever they got too close to her or Jaune's team.
She was tempted to ask him to take a more active part in the fight but decided against it in case Cordovin managed to win and land them all in jail. As much as she hated the idea of him risking everything against Atlas security, he was going to be their best bet at breaking out.
It felt like a dream when Cordovin's mech suit finally broke down. She could barely register the cheers of her teammates and the bone-crushing hug from Nora. Weiss desperately searched the treelines for even a glimpse of him, but all she could find was snow and tree branches.
"I can't believe that actually worked." Nora voiced the one thought everyone must have been thinking. "We're unbeatable!"
"We still need to get Yang and Blake." Jaune reminded them all. "And then we have to fly like hell."
He didn't need to tell them twice. They all hurried onto the airship. Weiss was half-hoping Adam would jump out of the forest to join them, but her hopes were dashed when Qrow slammed the door shut.
Weiss' Scroll buzzed with a new message just as Maria hastily launched them into the air.
Adam:
I've seen a lot of crazy things, but that was downright stupid.
Weiss:
This is why I was so worried!
And to be fair it's not like we planned to get caught
Adam:
You're lucky that lady didn't crush any of you
Where's Blondie and Blake? I thought they'd help you guys beat up that thing
Weiss:
They're waiting for us at the relay tower
A cold dread chilled her to the bone when she read over her message again. In the stress of the fight, she'd forgotten why they were caught by Cordovin in the first place.
"Guys, have you heard from anything Yang or Blake?" Her question made the airship go quiet.
"W-what do you mean?" Ruby was the only one who answered.
"Don't you find it odd that Cordovin was able to track us to our rendezvous spot? If they were supposed to kill the signal for us…"
Weiss didn't know how to finish her thought, but the haunted look on Ruby's face was enough to tell her she shared similar thoughts.
"Calm down, we're almost at the tower." It was Maria who jumped in to reassure them. "Look, you can already see it ahead."
Sure enough, the dark outline of Argus' radio tower was sticking out of the forest like a sore thumb. Though the flight must have only taken a couple of minutes, it felt like years had passed before they got a good look at the tower.
Immediately they could tell something was wrong. Yang's motorcycle was discarded just at the base of the tower, with no signs of Yang or Blake anywhere. A thin, white fog hung ominously over the very top layer of the relay tower.
'Sienna.' Weiss felt her anxiety spike at the mere thought of Sienna ambushing her friends.
Weiss spotted the first human body slumped against the lower railings on one of the lower platforms while Ruby cried loudly at the hooded White Fang member laying unconscious not too far from them.
Everyone readied their weapons as Maria carefully piloted the ship closer to the condensed fog at the top. The current created by their airship helped to dissipate the foggy curtain. Ruby and Qrow sighed with relief when the thinning fog unveiled Yang and Blake.
They looked like they'd just been through hell. Both of them were leaning on each other for support, and their breathing laboured—Blake in particular looked to be in the worse shape as she could barely stand even with Yang's support. Blake's white sleeves stained red, whether the blood was from her or someone else Weiss couldn't tell.
They all jumped out of the airship once Maria had lowered them enough to safely hop onto the platform. Jaune's team formed a protective circle around Yang and Blake while Ruby rushed to her sister's side.
Weiss stuck closely to Qrow's side as they gingerly walked further onto the platform. Though she couldn't hear any more hostile forces nearby, her instincts were screaming at her that something was still very wrong.
"What happened? Are you two okay?!" Ruby questioned them after crushing Yang with a hug.
"Blake got ambushed by the White Fang," Yang explained. "I came here as soon as I saw the place get swallowed by smoke."
"T-the White Fang? Why would they target the relay tower?"
"They weren't." Blake nearly toppled over when she tried to stand without Yang's support. Ruby and Yang immediately held her back up. "They were here for me."
"We need to get you a doctor." Ruby looked over her bloodstained jacket worryingly.
"The blood's not mine," Blake elaborated quickly. "I-I tried to save the human workers but…"
Blake glanced over at Weiss for a second before looking away.
"I'm sorry."
"You're not the one who killed them. Don't shoulder that guilt." Weiss assured her.
"I-I still don't understand," Jaune piped in. "I thought Blake's parents were working on White Fang reforms. How come they're still trying to mess with us?"
"Not everyone's going to agree with the new changes, but that's not what's concerning me," Blake replied. "How did they know we were going to be here?
She never got her answer as the radio in their airship suddenly blared to life. Maria cursed and tried to cut off the signal, stopping only when the chilling message of a leviathan Grimm approaching Argus was delivered by the military base.
No one said anything at first. Weiss almost wanted to convince herself that she was only hearing things, but the longer the silence stretched the heavier the consequences of their plan became.
"W-we destroyed the only thing that can stop it." Ruby stammered weakly. "People are going to die because of us…"
"We'll find a way to fix this." Jaune quickly jumped in to reassure her. "Let's head back into the ship first. This place gives me the creeps."
Ruby nodded stiffly and slowly began guiding Blake back to the airship. Weiss lingered behind to help create a staircase with her glyphs for Yang and Blake to more easily access the airship.
It was only when everyone had safely used her glyphs to get onboard that she made her way up. Just as she was about to step inside the airship, Weiss felt something hot wrap around her ankle. She barely had time to think before something violently jerked her down. Jaune, who was nearest to the entrance, barely caught her hand in time.
Weiss looked down and saw a metal, whip-like blade wrapped tightly around her ankle. She followed the whip and felt her blood go cold when she spotted a familiar woman perched on the middle platform of the relay tower.
Weiss took note of the handgun attached to Sienna's hip and short dagger sheathes strapped to her legs. It was clear Weiss' little trick at Haven Academy wouldn't work as effectively again.
"Shoot and my sniper will blow your precious princess' head off!" Sienna growled when Ruby changed her scythe into a rifle.
"Y-you're bluffing!" Jaune accused bravely.
"Do you really want to test me, little boy?"
Another violent pull nearly ripped her right out of Jaune's hands. This time, Ren and Nora rushed in to help try to pull Weiss back in, but all they accomplished was further exasperating the straining pain in her arm.
The radio blared to life again, warning them that the army of Grimm was now attacking Argus citizens.
'It's either me or them.' Though the realization left a heavy pit in her stomach.
"We don't have time to deal with this!" Weiss dug into her pockets and threw her Scroll into the airship. "Call him and tell him I need backup! You guys deal with this Grimm situation!"
"We're not leaving you behind!" Jaune protested.
"Argus needs all the help it can get. I can handle this myself!"
The others didn't get another chance to respond as another hard pull ripped her right out of her friends' hands.
The force threw her into the pine forest. Weiss summoned her glyphs to help slow down the descent, but it barely cushioned the rough branches and pine needles digging into her skin on the way down.
Stars danced in her vision when she hit the ground with a painful thump, knocking the wind right out of her chest. Weiss scrambled back up to her feet when a bullet zipped over her head. She'd barely regained her balance when another bullet successfully hit her arm. It wasn't enough to shatter her Aura, but it still hurt like hell.
'I need to keep moving!'
She bolted into the forest without a second thought, with bullets flying uncomfortably close to her. Weiss very quickly realized the advantages of fleeing into a pine forest. Unlike a regular forest, her pursuer couldn't use the foliage to conceal themselves, at least not easily.
It wasn't very long before she caught glimpses of a hooded figure tailing her.
She retaliated as soon as they were in sight. Weiss summoned her glyphs to help propel her straight towards one of the White Fang grunt, successfully knocking them unconscious with a flurry of ice shards.
Weiss heard Sienna's whip approach before she even saw it. She ducked down just as the weapon flicked over her and sliced the tree behind her cleanly in half.
"You've played it smart by sticking to those filthy humans and that traitor," Sienna approached her in a deceptively relaxed manner. "But I'm going to make you pay for destroying my family a second time!"
"I-I didn't—"
The whip lashed out once more, missing her head by mere inches. Weiss wasn't so lucky with the second slash, wincing when the blade made contact with her core. She haphazardly summoned a wall of ice between her and Sienna. Just as she turned to put some distance between them, her ice barrier shattered with a loud crack.
Weiss didn't look back as she used her glyphs to propel her further into the forest.
'It's either me or her.' She reminded herself heavily.
She activated her Red Dust and hastily sent jets of fire behind her as she went. It wouldn't be enough to stop Sienna, but maybe it could keep some distance between them.
The whip flew past her so quickly that she felt a sharp burst of wind brush against her cheek. She cursed when the tree in front of her was sliced apart and fell right in front of her path. Weiss skid to a stop and turned around to face her opponent.
Sienna, despite the burns covering her clothes, didn't seem to flinch from running through the flames Weiss had hurled at her.
"I'm going to disfigure you so badly your precious human friends won't even recognize you." She threatened with a sadistic grin.
Weiss ignored her taunts and called upon two Grimm summons to aid her.
"Your little toys won't stop me, Princess."
Sienna charged headfirst towards them, taking out both summons with a single slash. Weiss used that momentary distraction to launch herself behind her and encased her completely in ice with a single slash of her blade.
"Don't get so cocky." Weiss surrounded Sienna in white glyphs and used them to help launch consecutive slashes at her, jumping glyph from glyph until the ice trapping her enemy shattered from the force of her sword.
Sienna retaliated with added vigour as soon as she was free, but this time Weiss was ready. Sienna was a fierce opponent, Weiss didn't trust herself to even blink from the speed her foe was moving.
Weiss was so focused on trying to avoid Sienna's whip-like blade she barely noticed the fire she left burning in the forest catching up to them. By the time she realized something was wrong, it was too late. They were both surrounded front and back by a blazing inferno, the once cold air now felt molten. Black smoke irritated her throat and burned her eyes.
Sienna either didn't notice the situation they were in or she didn't care.
Weiss swiftly switched Dust and used her new arsenal to raise a towering stone wall between her and Sienna.
With the help of her glyph, she propelled herself as high as she could, flying right over the fire and into the non-burning half of the forest. Sienna's murderous cries encouraged her to keep running despite the smoke clogging up her airways.
She pushed herself and the power of her glyphs to the very limit as she heard the crack of that whip creeping closer and closer. She could barely hear the roar of a distant waterfall over her breathing and the sound of Sienna's approach. Weiss felt her heart plunge when the forest in front of her abruptly vanished into a drop-off.
'Shit!'
She summoned as many glyphs as she could to slow her fall, but nothing was going to keep her from crashing into the rocky waterfall below.
She yelped when someone caught her in midair, launching them both onto a safe platform facing the massive waterfall.
"Thanks for setting the forest on fire. It made it easier to track you down." Adam set her back down on her feet. He sounded completely breathless.
"I didn't mean—" she was cut off by a cough.
"Take your time and catch your breath. I'll take over." With lightning-fast reflexes, he knocked the flying dagger away with his sword.
It didn't take long for Sienna to leap out from the forest and down onto the platform where they stood.
Weiss had no doubts Sienna was feeling the effects of the flames she had to traverse in order to catch up to her. Even her gold aura was beginning to show signs of breaking.
"And the traitor returns," Sienna growled.
"The Belladonnas have reclaimed the White Fang. It's over." Adam positioned himself directly in front of Weiss.
"They'll never make a difference by being pushovers. You used to know that too before you sullied yourself with a Schnee, my dear child."
They were on each other within seconds, exchanging blows faster than a flash of lightning.
'She must be close to her Aura's breaking point.' Weiss thought. 'This is our best shot at defeating her.'
One of Adam's hits knocked Sienna a considerable distance back, Weiss used that chance to summon her Knight to the field. The massive summon swung its sword down at Sienna, only missing by a hair. Sienna growled angrily and leapt right towards her.
Weiss just barely caught Sienna in midair with a black glyph. Adam took that opportunity to jump in to slam her to the ground with a single slash of his blade, finally shattering her golden Aura.
"You good?" He asked her, landing just beside her.
"Never been better." She answered. Her Knight Summon fell in step beside them, readying its blade.
"Don't make another move," Adam warned Sienna as she staggered back up. "Stand down and I'll let you live."
"It's not over until that Schnee is dead." Sienna took out a familiar circular device from her pockets.
"Dammit." Weiss quickly switched over to her White Dust just as the battlefield was encased in a purple fog.
She wasn't sure how Sienna upgraded her old smoke bombs, but whatever she did to them made it much more than just a tool of concealment.
The effects of the smoke were instantaneous, it was like someone had cut her aura's strength in half. Immediately Weiss found it painful to breathe, and her body felt completely drained of energy. Weiss cursed when she lost her connection to her Summon.
She heard Sienna attacking Adam from somewhere in the darkness, both of them exchanging gunfire. No matter how hard Weiss tried to look for them, she couldn't see anything apart from the dark smog. Something clattered onto the ground. Her heart dropped when the battlefield suddenly went quiet.
Weiss desperately activated her White Dust, summoning a twister that managed to break a hole through the top of the purple fog and created a small zone of fresh air for her to recover in. She was just about ready to summon another twister when the sound of a bullet roared from within the black smog.
Weiss' Aura broke the instant the bullet made contact with her back. She'd barely had the chance to retaliate when Sienna practically flew out from somewhere in the smog and collided her fist into her chest, leaving her completely breathless.
The punch sent her flying back into the dark clouds like a rag doll. She landed awkwardly on her shoulder, her sword skidding just out of reach. Her mouth tasted like metal and she winced in pain whenever she tried to catch her breath. At this point, she wasn't sure if it was from Sienna's punch or the smog.
Sienna didn't seem to be faring too well with the purple smoke either. Weiss could just barely make out her figure barreling towards her, breathing laboured.
"I've been waiting so long for this, Princess." Sienna snarled.
Weiss tried to crawl away but Sienna held onto her leg, claws digging into her flesh.
"You're getting nothing out of this." Weiss coughed. It was getting harder and harder to focus on Sienna's blurred figure.
"I'm avenging my family."
"Killing me won't bring them back—!"
A firm hand clamped around her throat. Though Sienna looked just as weakened from the smog, her grip feel like a vice.
"Yes, but letting you live while they were senselessly killed is a crime." She whispered into her ear. "I'm going to enjoy watching you slowly die, Princess."
'If you kill me it'll hurt him!' That was what she wanted to say had it not been for the iron grip around her neck. 'Don't you care how it'll affect Adam?!'
Wasn't she the one that ended up raising him? Didn't she remotely care about how this would affect her pupil in the long run?
It was physically impossible to voice her thoughts. All Weiss could manage was to desperately claw at Sienna's hand as her lungs burned. She almost wished Sienna had ended her with a quick shot to the head.
The thick purple smog was beginning to clear, revealing the wild, deranged woman pinning her down. Sienna reached for one of the small sheaths strapped to her leg and pulled out a dagger.
"I wonder if he'll recognize you if I cut those pretty little eyes out, Princess." She asked in a sickeningly sweet voice.
Weiss bravely met Sienna's gaze as the dagger drew closer and closer to her face.
'I hope you see my face in your nightmares.'
"Get away from her!" His voice roared from somewhere nearby.
Sienna's grip loosened just a bit in surprise. Weiss used that opportunity to punch her in the face with all the strength she could muster. It wasn't able to knock her out, but the hit made her recoil enough to allow Weiss to scramble towards her discarded sword. That gave Adam a clear shot of Sienna and he took it without hesitation.
He reached her within a second, leaving a deep cut across Sienna's forearm when she raised it to shield her face. Weiss was distinctly aware that his sheath was no longer strapped to his side.
Weiss coughed as she struggled to get onto her own feet.
His Aura was showing signs of breaking. Its crimson light lit up the dark purple smog ominously like a flash of lightning.
Sienna didn't hesitate to lunge at him with her short knife, though her weakened physical state left her at his mercy. With a flick of his sword, he'd managed to disarm her, leaving another nasty gash running down her palm all the way to her elbow.
Weiss was sure that would be the deciding factor to deter her from fighting anymore, but they barely had a second to catch their breaths when Sienna reached for the gun strapped to her hip and aimed at Weiss' head.
She froze, with her Aura depleted and Semblance completely inaccessible, Weiss was certain that would be the last thing she'd ever see. She mentally braced herself for the bullet to make contact when red flooded her vision.
Adam's Semblance was like a beacon in the night. The dark purple clouds immediately took on a haunting crimson hue. For the first time since they began fighting, Weiss noticed Sienna's fierce expression morph into fear.
Whether it was survival instinct or fury at his loyalty towards Weiss, Sienna turned her gun towards him.
Three loud pops roared out from the gun just as he sent a horizontal wave of energy flying towards Sienna.
It went by so fast Weiss could barely register what had just happened—it almost felt like a dream. There were only two things she was painfully aware of: the sound of his Aura shattering and his body disappearing beneath the smog as he collapsed.
As quickly as his Semblance had illuminated the dark veil of clouds, it faded until all she could see were shadows.
"A-Adam!" She screamed, noticing how quiet the battlefield had become.
Weiss blindly stumbled to where he fell and collapsed right by his side. Her vision was still adjusting to the dark, but she could vaguely make out his pained expression in the thick smog.
"Adam! Look at me!" Without thinking, she placed her hand on his chest. Her heart dropped as she came in contact with something wet and warm.
'No!'
With trembling hands, she clumsily searched through her sword's Dust compartment until she found her White Dust. Weiss ripped the tiny Dust compartment free and threw it as far away from them as possible. As soon as the container shattered, the effects were immediate. A wind current like she'd never felt before rippled wildly through the battlefield, nearly sending her flying off the cliffside.
She threw herself on top of Adam and squeezed her eyes shut from the dust being swept up in the storm, desperately trying to keep them both from being blown away. All she could hear was the wind roaring in her ears as it angrily tugged at her hair and clothes. Her arms were burning from the strain of holding them both down, but she refused to let go of him.
'We're going to make it out together!' She screamed internally. 'I'm never letting you go! Never!'
Finally, when the air around them settled into a gentle breeze, she dared to squint her eyes open. There was not a single hint of the smog left by Sienna and the air smelled fresh. She gingerly got off him and looked behind her, half-expecting to see Sienna's gun pointed at her. All that was left of Sienna was a streak of red leading off the edge of the cliff.
"I-it's over." She whispered in awe. "A-Adam, it's over."
She looked back down at him, the nausea she'd felt all morning intensified to a point she was almost certain she would hurl on the spot.
Two bullet holes were embedded into his chest, though his dark clothing masked his bleeding, she could see it as clear as day stained on her white tunic.
"Adam!" She instinctively placed her hands over his wounds, applying steady pressure. Tears blurred her vision as she saw his blood seeping out between her fingers. No matter how firmly she pressed down on his chest the blood kept coming.
'How could there be so much blood?' She thought in a daze.
"W-wake up." She cried. "Please wake up."
He didn't seem to hear her at first, eyes closed in pain.
"Adam, this isn't funny anymore. P-please, wake up."
He groaned and opened his eyes. She tried to smile, to assure him everything would be fine, but it was impossible when she could literally feel his life draining from beneath her hands.
"Where's your Scroll? I-I'm going to call for help."
Maybe if she got Jaune here in time he'll be able to save him. They'd just gotten on friendly terms with each other, surely he'd be willing to help.
"Weiss, stop—"
"WHERE'S YOUR DAMN SCROLL?!"
"Back pocket."
She hastily dug the Scroll out, all the while keeping one hand over his injury. She could barely dial Jaune's number with how badly she was shaking and practically screamed at him to get to them when he finally picked up.
"Okay! W-we're on our way. Just give Ruby another minute to get her eyes—"
"He doesn't have another minute! H-he's really hurt, Jaune. Please help him."
She heard Yang saying something in the background before Jaune replied again. "Send me your location, I'm on my way now."
"T-thank you."
"Tell him to hang in there! I'll get to him as quickly as I can."
"Please hurry." She quickly hung up and shared their location with him. Even with the prospect of help coming just around the corner, she still felt completely helpless.
"Jaune's coming to help us. H-he told you to hang on, so just wait a bit longer for him." She said, returning her full attention to Adam.
He was paler now and his breathing shallow. Weiss wasn't sure if she wanted to curse herself for not taking down Sienna sooner or mourn for Adam's withering state.
'It's all my fault.'
"Hey, it'll be okay. You'll be fine." He said. She felt his hand rest on her's.
"Tell me it's okay when we heal you." She demanded weakly. "Y-you're going to be fine. E-everything will be okay."
Everything had to be okay. They'd gone through so much for it not to be. She wouldn't let him die here, it was unacceptable.
'What's taking Jaune so long?!'
"Weiss, can you do a favour for me?" His quiet voice pulled her out of her panicked thoughts.
"Anything." She answered him immediately.
"Can you get something from my front pocket?"
"I-I can't. Y-your injuries–"
"Please."
Her training told her not to listen to him, she needed to do everything she could to stop the bleeding, but the desperation in his voice made her waver.
Her hands trembled as she looked through his pockets. At first, she thought she'd heard him wrong until her fingers brushed against a familiar shape.
'No way.'
She fished the mysterious object out and stared at her palm speechless. It was her lucky charm from when she was 4. It was so tiny. She swore it looked so much bigger in her memories.
Even through all the years they were apart, through all his hardships and fights, the diamonds on her tiny snowflake sparkled just as brilliantly as the day she gave it to him—a stark contrast to the blood staining her hand.
"I won't be able to take care of it much longer, so I figured you should have it." He explained.
"Stop talking like you're already dead, idiot!" She pressed her free hand on his chest once again. "Help's on the way! Don't give me this crap!"
"They're too far away." He protested quietly. "We both know that."
She shook her head, refusing to acknowledge his response. They would make it out together—there was no other option. She wouldn't accept it—she refused to accept it.
He grunted in pain when she increased the pressure she applied to his chest, yet all that seemed to accomplish was making him feel more discomfort.
'It's all my fault.'
"It's okay. You've done enough." He said with a gentle smile. It was so similar to the smile she saw on their final night travelling together.
Once upon a time seeing him so at ease would've left her feeling like she was on top of the world, today it crushed her spirit like glass.
"Adam, don't say things like that. Stop—"she choked from the tears overwhelming her eyes.
"Thanks for everything, Weiss. I'm glad we met again."
"I-I'm so sorry. I-if I was stronger I–"
"It's not your fault." He cradled her face. "Don't you dare blame yourself—it was never your fault. Never."
Weiss wasn't sure why his response made it so difficult to breathe.
"You're going to be okay after this." He gently wiped her tears with his thumb. "You have a good heart. It's going to change lives like mine."
She shook her head. Weiss couldn't believe he was slipping away again.
This couldn't be goodbye. They'd only just met again.
"Stop talking like that! You promised you would help me with my mission!"
He's never lied to her before. He couldn't start now.
"I know. Sorry I wasn't able to atone for all I did."
She gently laid on top of him and embraced him the best that she could in that position.
"I forgive you, Adam." She kissed him on the cheek and buried her face into the crook of his neck. "But I won't forgive you if you leave me like this."
He felt so cold, it wasn't right. He was supposed to be warm—strong like a flame.
"Sorry." He weakly returned the hug.
"This isn't fair!"
"I know it isn't." He tightened his hold around her.
They were supposed to come out victorious together. They were supposed to create a better world for humans and Faunus together. This was only supposed to be the beginning of their story together.
How could he leave her when they had so much left to do?
"Don't stop fighting. Even if it gets difficult." His voice was growing weaker. More tired. It killed her to hear him like this. "Don't let more kids end up like we did…like I did."
"I can't do it alone." She whimpered.
'I need you.'
"You've done it before, Weiss. I believe in you."
She shook her head.
"I still had you back then."
His hold around her was weakening while her hold on him only grew tighter.
"You can do this. I know you can." He whispered. "We'll see each again one day. I'll wait for you."
"Stay." She pleaded. "I still need you."
"You're stronger than you think." He pressed a final kiss on her head. "Be brave."
'Don't go. Don't leave me alone.'
A part of her forever shattered when his arms finally fell away from her, leaving her completely alone in the unforgiving cold.